Many athletes who participate in any level of college sports have been doing their sports for most of their lives. Others realize their passion for their sport as they grow older. Carlos Zhicay is one of those athletes. He is currently a sophomore at Pace University, majoring in history education, and runs for the cross-country team. Although Carlos is an excellent runner, his path with cross-country has not been linear.
Carlos grew up in Bayshore, Long Island, New York. He was surrounded by lots of water, nature, and a soccer-loving family. Zhicay started playing soccer when he was five years old, continuing until he was in 7th grade. In his last year of playing, Carlos realized that he did not enjoy the sport anymore, but was doing it to make his parents happy. He had outgrown the sport and it became more of a routine rather than something he looked forward to. After a heart-to-heart conversation with his parents, he decided to quit.
Going into his freshman year of High School, Carlos wanted to be a part of a new environment. So, when his friend suggested he join the cross-country team, he decided to give it a shot. It was difficult transitioning from playing as a team to a more individual sport. but he decided to push through. In his first two years of cross country, Zhicay didn’t see the point of the work that the sport required of him. The hard workouts and practices seemed as if they did not have a purpose. However, as his junior year approached he decided to become more serious about it.
The talk of college was already going around and everyone was preparing themselves for it. Especially, athletes. He wouldn’t skip practices or workouts anymore and he began to see the results of his discipline. Carlos became faster and started running with people who were considered faster than him. After all his hard work, he was offered to run at Pace University in his senior year.
Carlos considers his recruitment as one of his proudest achievements in his sport so far. When exploring colleges, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue running. He didn’t know much about the college recruitment process and felt a bit of doubt because of his few years of experience. He had plenty of meetings with coaches that helped guide him to the right path. Even if he wasn’t so sure about running in college at the time, he knew he wanted to achieve more things in cross country. Not only was he offered to run at the Division 2 level, but he was also given an athletic
scholarship. Carlos proved to be the definition of “hard work pays off”
ll was well until his journey took an unexpected turn in his freshman year of college. Carlos suffered from an Iliotibial (IT) band injury that resulted in him missing some of his first season. He felt he was being held back from his full potential, especially in his first year. The recovery process was hard, and he hated every second of it. Zhicay was worried that he had let his teammates down by not being able to run and tried to push himself to do so even if he wasn’t fully recovered.
He denied the pain until his coach had a meaningful conversation with him. “He told me, “You can’t take care of others if you can’t take care of yourself”, Carlos stated. That was the moment he realized that he had to put himself first. When he was finally cleared to race and train again, Carlos knew that this injury was just a bump in the road and he was determined to do even better than before.
As Carlos continues his college journey, he reflects on the lessons learned from his experiences, both good and bad. His shift from soccer to cross-country has helped him grow as an athlete and a person, emphasizing the importance of persistence and taking care of himself. With a fresh perspective and a greater appreciation for running, he is prepared to face new challenges and work toward his goals on the cross-country team. Carlos shows that setbacks can be part of the journey, and as he keeps pushing himself, his story demonstrates how dedication
and determination can lead to success.